Red Rose
by Sharingan300
Summary: SakuGaa Gaara has finally found peace, together with a certain Konoha kunoichi. The two have a child and all is well. Until they are attacked.....
1. Birth

**Red Rose**

Chapter 1: Birth

Screaming. That was all he could hear. Screaming.  
He would have walked away from the noise if it wasn't  
for one small detail. The one who was screaming,  
was his fiancee.

Gaara of the Desert clutched at his pants to keep himself  
from shaking as another scream ripped through the room.  
He was sitting on a chair with his sand-filled gourd on the  
floor beside him. Gaara shut his eyes tightly as another  
scream was heard from behind the white doors.  
He was stiff as a board and nervous as hell. And for a good  
reason. On the other side of the white doors, was his fiancee.  
She was giving birth to a child. His child.

"Damnit! How long is this going to take? She's been in there  
for NINE hours already, goddamnit! Can't that  
good-for-nothing medic-wonder Hokage do SOMETHING right for a change?"  
Gaara swore loudly.

The cork in his gourd started to twitch as his sand responded to his  
fierce emotions.  
Gaara had never felt so powerless in his entire life.  
The only woman he had come to love was suffering through sets of  
severe pain and he could do absolutely nothing to help.  
Besides waiting. Oh the waiting... It was enough to drive him  
crazier than he had ever been in his entire life!  
Who would have thought that the living weapon of the  
Hidden Village of the Sand could ever be in this kind of situation?  
Certainly not Gaara.

"Whow! Take it easy, buddy! Going ballistic won't help anyone!"

Gaara's eyes snapped open and he slowly turned to the one who had  
spoken. A young brown haired man with a dog lying at his feet  
was looking back at him.  
The red haired ninja growled at him.

"If you value your petty life, Inuzuka, then I suggest that you  
SHUT THE HELL UP!" Gaara barked.

The cork started unscrewing itself.  
Kiba gulped and went silent immediately.  
The other people in the room looked at the white doors.  
A brown haired man sat on the other side of the room, right in  
front of Gaara. He sighed and spoke up.

"This is just so troublesome... This is turning out the exact same way  
as when Ino gave birth to our son! Man, how long did it take again?  
Twelve hours?" The man mumbled.

Ino sat right next to Gaara. She grumbled at the brown haired man.

"Hey! This is a B-I-R-T-H, alright? It's supposed to take a long time!  
Do you get me? Do you, Shikamaru?" Ino barked.

The people in the room twitched at her loudness and Shikamaru  
merely sighed.  
Ino sighed and turned to look at the white doors.  
Worry was etched all over her face.  
Everyone was there, all crammed together in the small waiting room.

Naruto sat with Tenten in his lap. He was worried as hell, as was his  
soon-to-be-wife. Tenten tried to keep calm, but she failed miserably.  
She knew the woman behind the doors quite well, and it was killing  
her that she wasn't able to help her.

Neji sat with his wife beside him. He didn't know the woman who was  
behind the doors that well, but he couldn't help but worry about her.  
He tightened his hold on Hinata, who leaned into his shoulder. She  
shook as another scream was heard. Hinata was a medical ninja and the  
fact that she wasn't able to do anything for the young woman in labor,  
was agony.

Lee and Gai were leaning against the wall. Surprisingly, they both kept quiet.  
The Beautiful Green Beasts of Konoha kept their looks focused on the  
two white doors. Lee was literally shaking in agony and anticipation.

Kiba didn't know the labouring woman at all. He had only seen her briefly  
during missions and ninja meetings. Akamaru sensed his master's unease and  
it spread to him. Neither of them knew the woman. Still, they were worried.  
She was part of the Rookie 9, and it felt as if she was part of their family,  
somehow.

Temari sat with Kankuro beside her. The two siblings cast worried glances  
at their brother and then at the doors. Temari knew the woman better than  
Kankuro, so she was a bit more worried about her than him.  
Kankuro was more worried that his brother was going to rip the entire  
hospital to shreds if the birth wasn't finished soon.

Chouji cast nervous glances at the two white doors. He knew that when a  
woman gave birth, a lot of pain was involved. He knew the woman as well  
as Kiba. Not at all, that is. He was still worried.

Kakashi was leaning against the wall with Anko sitting beside him.  
The Copy Ninja kept his eye fixed on the white doors. It was usually difficult  
to tell what the Jounin was feeling due to most of his face being covered by  
a mask. However, right now, anyone could see that he was worried.  
Anko squeezed his arm in an attempt to comfort her husband. It worked to an  
extent. Kakashi never tore his eye off the doors, though. He knew that his  
old student was strong, but that didn't stop his nervousness.  
Kakashi knew that births could go wrong.

Shikamaru knew the woman quite well since his wife liked to spend time with her.  
Ino liked to babble on and on about how things was like between them during  
their younger days. Shikamaru sighed and continued to wait.  
Births were so troublesome.

Sasuke was leaning against the wall beside Temari. He tried to look unconcerned,  
but he failed miserably. He was worried sick about his friend and teammate.  
The fact that his wife was sitting right beside him helped.  
Temari glanced up at him and managed the ghost of a smile. Sasuke answered  
with a smile as vague as her own.

Kurenai and Asuma were sitting beside Naruto and Hinata.  
The two Jounin's didn't know the woman very well, but they still felt that they had to be there.  
It was after all, a very special event.

Shino sat beside Kurenai. His face was covered by his grey trenchcoat and sunglasses,  
but the worried glances he cast towards the doors showed his unease.  
He had never experienced a birth before, and the screaming was unnerving to him.  
The bugs in his body ran around like wild in response to his uneasy state. He didn't  
know the woman at all. Still, he felt like he needed to be there.

Standing with his back to the wall, was Jiraiya. The white haired man didn't know the  
woman at all. Aside from her being the student of his old teammate.  
The female Sannin.  
He knew how the Sand's weapon had changed during his contact with her, and that spurred him to  
be there. Not only that. He wanted to be there as a kind of support. Jiraiya was pretty  
clueless when it came to births, but he knew that all support that could be given was  
needed.

Ino sighed. She turned to Gaara.

"She'll be alright. She's strong, a small thing such as childbirth won't be  
enough to do her in! Not by a longshot! I mean, when I gave birth,  
I just pushed and-" Ino began.

Gaara didn't even look at her. He was trying with all his might to remain  
where he was instead of charging through the two white doors.  
Gaara shut the blonde out after the first sentence. He shut out all other sounds as well.  
Memories of their time together arose in his mind. Gaara closed his eyes and let the memories  
consume him.

* * *

"Flashback"

15 years old Gaara was sitting on one of the wooden poles in the Konoha training ground.  
He could still hear the music coming from the centre of the village.  
The Fifth had thrown a party a week after the war with the Sound was over.  
Gaara had never liked parties and so, he snuck away at first chance.  
The red haired boy liked being alone. It was nice being with people sometimes too, but he  
still needed to be alone at times.  
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard.  
Gaara turned and saw a young girl standing a distance away from him.  
The girl looked at him with a curious and playful look on her face.

"What are you doing out here? The party's not over yet..." The woman stated.

Gaara sighed and turned away from her.

"I don't like parties. There's too much people." He stated.

"I see..." The girl mumbled.

The girl fidgeted with her red skirt as she tried to find something to say.  
It was always hard to talk to the Sand ninja. Mostly due to his anti-social personality.  
After ten minutes had passed without her leaving, Gaara finally lost his patience.

"You." He said.

The girl looked up slightly startled.

"Y, yes?" She said.

Gaara sighed.

"Why are you still here? If you came out here to get me, then you might as well go  
back to the party. I'm not going back." Gaara stated.

The girl looked down into the ground again. She continued to play with the fabric of her skirt.  
Gaara turned and noticed her slightly nervous posture.

"I just...thought that you were lonely, you know? No one should be alone on this happy day!"  
The girl said, finally.

Gaara looked away from her.

"I'm never alone." Gaara stated.

His voice turned completely monotone at this. The girl quickly figured out the meaning behind his  
words and tried to find something else to say. She finally sighed.

"Listen, I know about your past. Your sister told me. I am sorry for how you was treated back then,  
but that's all in the past. You should try to get over it. Just like Naruto did.  
If... If you need someone to talk to...then I'll be here, alright? Just say the word, and I'll listen."  
The girl said.

Gaara's right eye twitched at her words. Unwanted memories resurfaced but he pushed them down  
again almost immediately. He heard how the girl turned and started making her way back to the  
village. Something inside of Gaara reacted at the girl's words.

"Wait."

The girl stopped walking and turned around. Gaara jumped down from the pole and stared into  
the surrounding forest.

"Yes?" The girl said.

"Why do you care about me? I mean, I'm a ruthless killer. I have killed more people than  
you can count. Plus, I tried to kill you once. Remember?" Gaara said coldly.

"Yes..." The girl answered.

"So why do you care, then? Why don't you hate me?" Gaara threw at her.

The girl went quiet for about 20 seconds. Then she finally answered.

"I...I don't care much about people's pasts. Your past as a killer doesn't mean anything to me.  
And what happened back then in the forest wasn't your fault. It was Shukaku who controlled you.  
I don't hate you, Gaara. I care about you because..." The girl stated.

Gaara didn't move a lip as she talked.

"Because?" Gaara demanded in monotone.

The girl shifted slightly, then she answered.

"Because... You have been hurt in so many ways. Mentally hurt, that is. More so than anyone should.  
You have always forced everyone out of your life and you have always put your past suffering on your  
own shoulders. That's not good for you. I care because... You're only human, Gaara."  
The girl exclaimed.

Gaara's eyes went wide at the girl's last statement. "_You're only human, Gaara_"  
The statement repeated itself over and over again in his head.  
No one had ever said anything like that to him before.  
Gaara found himself lightly trembling. That small girl before him, that fragile thing, had just looked past  
his demonic outer self, and into his own self.  
Before he knew it, he had crossed the distance between them and grabbed her.  
The girl's eyes went wide as the boy hesitantly hugged her close.  
Gaara leaned in close to the girl's ear.

"Thank you." He wisphered.

The girl shuddered for an unknown reason.

"What for?" The girl wisphered back.

Gaara actually smiled.

"For calling me human." Gaara answered.

The girl stared at the red haired boy in shock for a few seconds, then she smiled warmly at him.  
She returned the embrace and put her forehead against his shoulder.

For the next few months, the two of them saw each other everyday.  
The girl coaxed Gaara to come out of his shell. The red haired boy gradually started opening up to her.  
They met at restaurants, café's, and at other random places in Konoha. There, they talked.  
They talked about everything that had happened in the boy's life, and the girl comforted him as bad  
memories resurfaced.  
Gaara was fascinated by the girl. Never before in his entire life had he met anyone so open-minded and  
carefree. Except for a certain loudmouthed blonde Genin, that is.  
Gaara was utterly fascinated. Because she was the first one who had referred to him as a human being.  
And not a monster. Before he knew it, his fascination had grown to become a feeling of trust and  
friendship that he shared with the girl. Their friendship grew stronger and stronger.  
Untill he suddenly found himself experiencing a feeling that he never would have thought possible  
for him to experience. A feeling that he had only been told about.  
Gaara of the Desert, had fallen in love.  
His shell that held the outer world away from him, was breaking apart.  
Gaara experienced many new feelings.  
Anger, frustration, sadness, irritation, and nervousness. Among others.  
After debating this back and forth in his mind for several days, the girl suddenly came up to him  
and confessed that she actually loved him too! Gaara felt another unknown feeling in that moment.  
Happiness.

A while later, he moved into an appartment in Konoha.  
Gaara had found his place and he was determined to stay there.  
His siblings had been shell-shocked when he flatly told them that he wasn't going to live in the  
Hidden Village of the Sand anymore, but in Konoha instead.  
Temari told Gaara that she wasn't going to let him go all alone. So she dragged the half-willing Kankuro  
with her to live in Konoha as well.  
The fact that Temari had taken a liking to a certain raven haired boy there, helped her decision.  
Gaara was relieved by their support.  
During the next couple of years, he felt that he could actually start to notice the world for what it was.  
And not just a place to be in.  
Gaara of the Desert, was happy. And it was all thanks to her.

"End flashback"

* * *

Gaara's eyes snapped back open as the screaming suddenly stopped.  
Everyone in the room stopped talking and they all faced the white doors.  
Then, it happened. The doors opened, revealing a sweaty but also happy looking Hokage.  
Tsunade looked at Gaara and smiled. The red haired boy stood up and stared at the  
Hokage as if he was bewitched.

"Sakura Haruno...has given birth!" Tsunade announced.

Everything was quiet after her statement.  
Everyone cheered loudly the second after. Several of the guys went up to the red haired boy and  
grinned at him. They would have patted him on his back if it wasn't for his automatic sand-defence.  
Gaara stared at Tsunade as if he couldn't believe what she had just said.  
The red haired boy stared blankly into space.

"I'm...I'm a...a father?" Gaara wisphered to himself.

Tsunade smiled warmly at him and nodded.

"Yes, Gaara. You're a father." Tsunade confirmed.

Gaara shook his head in order to get the idea into it.

"C, can I see her?" Gaara asked.

Tsunade continued smiling.

"You can't see Sakura, Gaara. But you can see _them_." Tsunade said.

Gaara quickly made his way past the Hokage and disappeared into the room behind her.

* * *

Yahoo! Chapter 1, done! It was kinda long, I know. But there was a lot that I felt needed to be in the same chapter.  
Let's head on to Chapter 2! 


	2. Marriage

Chapter 2: Marriage

The Sand ninja entered the room and saw her immediately.  
His pink haired angel was sitting on a bed. Sweaty, but happy.  
Sakura smiled at the red haired man warmly.  
It was now that Gaara noticed the small bundle in Sakura's arms.

"Come here, Gaara. Come and meet your daughter." Sakura said.

Gaara's legs moved on their own accourd. He reached he bed and looked down  
at the bundle. A small baby was lying in the blankets.  
Short pink hair surronded the small head. Then, the infant opened it's eyes.  
The baby had emerald green eyes.  
Gaara sat down on the bed and stared at the infant. He was nearly trembling.  
Had he really taken part in creating something so beautiful?  
Gaara reached down and gently touched the baby's hand. He was mildly surprised when  
the baby grabbed his finger and held on to it tightly.  
Sakura giggled at this. Gaara slowly smiled. He felt some kind of thrill.

"I'm...I'm really a father. I can't believe it." Gaara stated.

Sakura smiled.

"And I'm a mother... I can barely believe it either." Sakura said.

Gaara let the baby hold on to his finger and his smile grew.

"She's got your looks. I wonder what she inherited from me?" Gaara stated, fondly.

Sakura looked down at the baby and her own smile broadened.

"Look at her... She frowns just like you do! I bet that she's going to inherit your personality."  
Sakura said, happily.

Gaara looked at her.

"Maybe so... Whatever it is, we'll know in a couple of years, right?" Gaara said.

Sakura nodded.  
The two new parents spent the next few minutes by simply looking at their child.  
It felt so good, somehow.  
Then, Sakura decided to speak up.

"Hey, have you thought of a name yet? I can't come up with a fitting one." Sakura asked.

Gaara studied the infant's face as he thought about the question.  
He smiled at the baby.

"How about... Kyla?" Gaara suggested softly.

"Kyla..." Sakura repeated, tasting the word on her tounge.

She smiled and nodded.

"Do you like it?" Gaara wondered.

"Yeah... I like it. It's got a nice ring to it." Sakura confirmed.

Gaara nodded and turned back to his daughter.

"Did you hear that? From now on, you will be known as Kyla Haruno. How's that?"  
Gaara said.

The baby blinked, then it closed it's eyes and yawned. The small infant then settled down  
in the blanket and fell asleep. Sakura smiled at this and so did Gaara.

"I am the happiest man alive." Gaara stated.

Sakura squeezed his hand.

"And I am the happiest woman alive." Sakura stated.

The two looked at each other, then they shared a loving kiss.

The young parents then settled down in the bed and watched their child sleep.

* * *

Sakura moved in to Gaara's appartment with Kyla. From there, they started living  
like a real family. Gaara and Sakura grew closer to each other than ever and they  
both formed strong bonds with their daughter.  
Six months later, they announced the date for their wedding.

* * *

Sakura stood before a full-lenght mirror. She was wearing a white silk dress that covered her arms  
and shoulders. A long white skirt covered her legs. Sakura's hair was loose for once, due to her  
removing her Forehead Protector.  
She was standing inside a small and temporary tent. Outside, the sounds of the wedding guests  
could be heard.

* * *

A Konoha wedding works like this.  
Two tents are set up beside each other in a large open area.  
The bride enters one of the tents and the bridegroom enters the other.  
The chairs for the wedding guests are put before the tents with an isle in the middle.  
Inside the tents, the bride and groom changes their clothes and gets ready.  
Meanwhile, the guests are seated.  
When they're both ready, the groom gives a signal so that the music starts playing.  
The bride and the groom then exits the tents and walks up to each other.  
The two then starts walking towards the altar.  
Well there, the one who is holding the service starts speaking.  
The bride and the groom say their yes'es and then they kiss.  
After that, there's a huge banquet.  
An hour or so into the banquet, the bride and the groom takes off on their honeymoon.

* * *

Sakura spun around in front of the mirror and smiled happily.  
Behind her, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten smiled as well.  
The three girls had been chosen as bridesmaids. They all wore the same white dresses that looked like  
Sakura's, only that their shoulders and arms were left uncovered.  
Tenten walked up to Sakura and studied her. 

"Just look at you! That dress fits you like Lee and his Taijutsu!" Tenten exclaimed cheerily.

Hinata nodded at her friend's statement.

"You're beautiful, Sakura!" Hinata stated.

Ino smiled and wagged her finger back and forth.

"You ARE pretty, Sakura. But you're not even close to my level!" Ino teased.

Sakura turned and wagged her own finger back and forth.

"That's right! I'm WAY above your level, Ino!" Sakura teased back.

Ino and Sakura both smiled and left it at that. They liked to tease each other for hours, but right now,  
there were more pressing issues at hand. Like getting to the altar in time.

Hinata blinked, then she spoke up.

"Hey, where's Kyla?" Hinata asked.

Tenten looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I know that Rei is with Gai-sensei. But Kyla..." Tenten trailed off.

Tenten and Naruto's son was like a real combination of the two. Energetic and  
slightly hot-headed, but also intelligent.

Sakura grinned at the two girls.

"Oh don't worry about her. She's in SAFE hands..."

* * *

"Hey! How do you get her to quiet down?" 

Gaara turned away from the mirror he had been looking into and faced the blonde loudmouth.  
The Sand ninja was dressed in a completely black tuxedo, black pants, and black shoes.  
His sand-filled gourd stood beside the mirror.  
Naruto was holding the red head's crying daughter, while trying with all his might to  
keep her from exploding.

"Man! Just bounce the kid up and down a few times! Gods, how troublesome..."

Shikamaru stood beside Naruto with the normal expression of boredom on his face.  
Naruto complied with the lazy man's suggestion and started bouncing the pink haired baby up  
and down. It worked. The baby girl went quiet. She started looking around the room in  
search of something interesting.  
Naruto turned to Shikamaru, dumbfounded.

"How the heck did you know that?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru shifted his weight over to the other foot.

"Ino always makes me take care of our kid when she's out shopping, so I was bound to learn  
something from it! I was so relieved when my mother offered to take the little rascal during the  
wedding. Kids are so troublesome... But I've gotta admit, they're cute as hell, too!"  
Shikamaru exclaimed lazily.

"Hey, do you think you could give me some tips then, Shikamaru? I'm having problems with  
keeping my own little rascal quiet at home!" Naruto grumbled.

It was clear that Naruto loved his son very much.  
Shikamaru merely sighed.  
Then the door slid open and a brown haired man stepped through.  
He set his white eyes on the blonde.  
Naruto grinned at him.

"Neji! You're late! What kept ya?" Naruto said.

Neji smiled at him.

"I'm not late. You're just early." Neji stated.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and agreed.

"Well! We're all here now, aren't we? Did anyone forget to do anything before the wedding?"  
Naruto said.

Shikamaru and Neji shook their heads. They all turned to bridegroom.  
Gaara smiled slightly at their conversation. When they turned to him, he dropped it immediately.  
Gaara walked past them with a neutral look, allthough he was nervous as hell on the inside.

"Let's go. They're expecting us." Gaara stated.

* * *

A signal was made, and the music started playing.  
All of the guests turned towards the two tents with anticipation.  
The tent to the left opened, and Gaara stepped out of it. He was followed by the three Konoha ninjas.  
The tent to the right opened a second later, and Sakura stepped out of it. She was followed by the  
three bridesmaids.  
The wedding guests all drew their breaths at the sight of the couple.  
The men were completely taken by the bride, and the women were completely taken by the groom.  
Gaara and Sakura stopped before each other. The pink haired woman smiled at the red head.  
A veil concealed Sakura's face partly, but it was clear that she was blushing madly.  
Gaara lost his breath at the sight of her. Sakura turned towards the altar, but her eyes were set on Gaara.  
The Sand ninja gulped. The wedding dress showed off Sakura's curves quite well.  
Then, the real wedding music began. 

"Shall we?" Sakura wisphered to him.

Gaara shakily nodded.

"We shall." He managed to say.

The two started walking down the aisle. They looked around and spotted many of their family and friends.  
Allthough Gaara only saw Naruto and his siblings as family and friends. Except for Sakura and his daughter,  
of course.  
Gaara saw his daughter safely in the arms of Naruto, and was calmed by it.  
Sakura looked over and saw her child too. She smiled slightly.  
The two of them reached the altar and the service began.  
Tsunade cleared her throat and grabbed the altar firmly. She had decided to lead the service due to it being such  
an important event in the unification of the Sand and Konoha.  
Tsunade was dressed in a long white cape with a dark green shirt under it. Her black pants made the image  
complete. Tsunade smiled warmly at the soon-to-be husband and wife.  
She nodded at the one playing the organ and the music stopped.

"My friends! We have gathered here today to make two people into one!" Tsunade began.

And so the service went on. As Tsunade talked, Gaara and Sakura turned to each other.  
Their eyes shone with love. Gaara drowned in her beauty. He could hardly believe that the beautiful young woman  
standing beside him was his and his alone. Gaara swore an oath under his breath to never share her with  
any other man. Never.  
Sakura felt her knees slightly wooble as she studied her soon-to-be husband. Gaara was almost never  
dressed up, and now that he was, made Sakura nearly lose her balance.  
He was so beautiful! Sakura could barely imagine the idea of the two of them living together.  
Together with their daughter, it was almost too good to be true!

"Sakura Haruno! Do you, take this man, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Sakura and Gaara both snapped out of their trance. Tsunade had finally reached the final part of the ceremony.  
Sakura cleared her throat.

"I do." Sakura stated.

Tsunade turned to Gaara.

"Gaara of the Desert! Do you, take this woman, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Tsunade asked.

Gaara cleared his throat. He looked down at Sakura with a broad smile.

"I do." He stated.

Tsunade nodded to herself. Then she spoke up.

"Then I pronounce you... Husband, and wife!" Tsunade stated loudly.

Gaara and Sakura faced each other and smiled so widely that it hurt. Sakura had never seen Gaara smile  
like that before, but it was an wellcome sight, all the same.  
Tsunade looked at them, then she added:

"You may kiss the bride." Tsunade declared.

Gaara reached down and gently lifted the veil from Sakura's face. He gathered her in his arms and brought  
her close.  
A thunderous cheering broke loose as their lips met.

* * *

Look! There it is! Chapter 2! Phew! I'm working hard on this one, so you better enjoy it! See ya in the next chapter! 


	3. Shock! Murder attempts and mysterious ha...

Chapter 3: Shock! Murder attempts and mysterious happenings!

It was well into the banquet when Naruto wormed himself out of his seat and made his way up to  
Gaara and Sakura, who were seated at one of the ends of the insanely long table.  
The blonde ninja grinned at them and heaved a very tired-looking Kyla into Gaara's arms.

"Here's your delivery! One tired baby-girl! Now, if you would just sign this please? Write your name  
here, here, here, there, over here, here, there, and there..." Naruto exclaimed with a huge grin.

Sakura giggled warm-heartedly as Naruto held an imaginary paper in front of her husband and pointed to  
several places on it when he rapidly said "Here, here, and here," and so on.  
Gaara positioned his daughter so that they were both comfortable, then he turned back to Naruto with a  
very, very small grin.

"What? You couldn't handle her for more than a few hours? What did she do? Steal your food for herself?"  
Gaara asked.

Naruto sniffed and scratched the back of his head with a small smile.

"Nah, Kyla has been a real angel. If you exclude the fact that she tried to poke my eyes out in an X amount of  
occasions. That, and she fell asleep and started drooling on me." Naruto said.

Sakura watched how Gaara lulled Kyla into sleep with a smile, before directing her eyes to Naruto.

"While we're on the subject of children, where's Rei, Naruto?  
Surely Gai-Sensei doesn't still have him... Right?" Sakura said.

Naruto's blue eyes widened for a second in what Sakura assumed was fear. Naruto shook his head  
rapidly and closed his eyes as he fended off the horrible mental image of Gai "teaching" his son about  
his view upon life. Naruto opened his eyes again with a barely noticeable shudder.

"No, Tenten has him now, thank God. You know, I really can't understand how Tenten even got the idea  
into her head that Gai of all people should be the one to take care of Rei during the wedding...!  
I mean, even Kakashi-Sensei would be better! He's perverted as hell, but still better than Gai!  
Ah, well! What can you do? The mystery of women will forever be, an unsolveable case.  
Well, I'd better get back! See ya later!" Naruto said.

Gaara looked up from Kyla's sleeping face and watched the blonde Jounin run off.  
Sakura inched closer to Gaara and gave his arm a squeeze.  
Gaara smiled affectionally at her.  
His new wife looked down at their daughter with a warm smile on her face.  
Gaara put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up. Sakura moved in and the newly-wed couple  
shared a loving kiss.  
Just then, Kyla frowned and gave a squeak. Her parents immediately broke apart and  
looked down to see what was wrong. A second later, Kyla relaxed. Only to frown again.  
Gaara blinked, then he scrunched up his nose. He turned to Sakura and bent in close.

"I think that Kyla needs to be changed." Gaara exclaimed.

Sakura nodded. She was beginning to feel the smell as well.

"Here, let me do it." Sakura offered.

"Alright." Gaara agreed.

Gaara passed Kyla over to Sakura. He watched as his lover went away to the restrooms.  
The red head sighed and leaned back in his chair. Gaara relaxed. He slowly let his gaze wander across the  
insanely long table which everyone were seated at. Among the many seated people, Gaara managed to spot  
his siblings. Kankuro was enjoying his food immensively by the looks of it. He shredded a steak in no time  
and started looking around for more. Temari had already finished eating and was currently talking to her  
still-eating husband. Sasuke ate in a much more civilised way than his wife's brother. He swallowed what  
he had been chewing and answered a question from his wife.  
Gaara then turned his head once again. He almost smiled when he saw a familliar blonde sitting a  
distance away. Naruto was sitting next to Tenten. The brunette had their son in her lap.  
Naruto was currently trying to eat and talk at the same time, while Tenten laughed at his behaviour.  
Rei was looking around at all the seated people around him.  
Gaara smiled. It was rare for him, but sometimes, he could really relax and bring out a truly happy smile.  
The Sand ninja then saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head up and looked  
to see what it was, but he didn't see anything. He frowned slightly. (Weird. I could have sworn that I saw  
something up there...) Gaara thought.  
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt a second later, as he turned his head in another direction and spotted his  
wife. Sakura was carrying a half-sleeping Kyla in her arms. The pink haired woman seemed quite content at  
watching and holding her daughter. Gaara toyed with the idea of either walking up to his wife and give her a  
kiss, or wait untill she reached him and give her a kiss then. Gaara usually didn't think in those tracks, but  
he was in a particulary good mood today. For an apparent reason.  
A sudden scream slapped him back to reality. Gaara's eyes widened. Flying towards Sakura, was a hailstorm  
of shurikens! Gaara flew out of his chair while clenching his right hand's fingers!

_POP_!

The cork was sent flying and sand burst forth from the gourd!  
The orange-yellow mass raced across the floor at top speed! Gaara stood with his arm outstretched.  
He sent the sand forward in order to protect his wife and child.  
A distance away, Naruto and Sasuke had zipped out of their seats and were already forming seals!  
A whole pack of Naruto's appeared in less than a second and flames surrounded Sasuke!  
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Gaara's temple as he realised the cold truth.  
(THE SAND OR THEIR TECHNIQUES WON'T MAKE IT!) Gaara thought in panic.  
Sakura looked up and saw the oncoming shuriken. She let out a terrified scream!  
Kyla clenched her small hands and curled her small toes. She frowned deeply and started to hiccup.  
The sand raced forward, but it was fruitless. The shurikens drew in close and...!

"WAAAAHHHHH!"

An ear-splitting scream cut through everyone's ears! A split-second later, sand burst up from the floor  
and surronded the pink haired ninja in a protective shell!  
The shurikens then rained down on them. But no matter how many shurikens that hit it, the sand shield held firm.  
The sharp projectiles just bounced off the shield and clattered to the ground harmlessly.  
The second after the last shuriken had hit the shield, the sand became soft again and collapsed on the floor.  
Sakura was shaking with Kyla pressed into her chest. Sakura was on her knees. The young woman shakingly  
opened her eyes and gasped as she took in her surrondings. The sand lying in a ring around her and the  
many shurikens on the floor. Kyla started crying loudly at this point, and Sakura tried half-heartedly to  
calm her down.  
With the threat gone, Gaara immediately spun around and thrust his entire arm towards the ceiling.

"The attacker... THERE!" Gaara yelled.

The sand changed direction at once and shot up to the roof! It smashed into it with CRUSHING force  
and broke apart some of the boards!  
A person then came into view. He was dressed in a completely black bodysuit and it was pretty clear that  
he was a ninja. It was also clear that he had been using a camouflage technique to remain invisible while  
sitting upside-down on the roof. Waiting for the right time to strike.  
He was currently coughing up some blood that came from his lungs being pierced by his broken ribs.  
Gaara turned his right hand slightly to the left and the sand formed itself into a fist which grabbed the  
dazed ninja and pulled him down to the floor. Hard.  
Gaara crooked his fingers and the sand pulled the man up into a standing position.  
It surrounded and tightened around him untill all you could see was his face.

"Desert Coffin...!" Gaara wisphered with barely contained rage.

Gaara growled dangerously and started to slowly clench his hand into a fist. The sand constricted tighter and  
tighter around the mysterious ninja and made it harder to breathe with every inch. Gaara growled and his  
green eyes flickered yellow. Fangs started to form in his mouth and a barely visible yellow aura came into  
excistence. It was clear that Shukaku was on the rise. The demon felt Gaara's intense emotions and used them  
to let his Chakra flow through the red head's body. Which Gaara wellcomed.  
Gaara then decided to end things.

"Desert Graveya-"

"Stop!"

Gaara's head snapped to the left and he saw Sakura running towards him. Kyla was crying in her arms.

"Sakura?" Gaara wisphered and Shukaku's Chakra withdrew, changing his body back to normal.

Sakura reached him and hugged him close. Gaara returned the embrace briefly before breaking it.  
His earlier anger returned quickly.

"Why do you want me to spare him, Sakura? He tried to _kill_ you and Kyla for Goodness' sake!" Gaara said while  
trying to keep himself from yelling.

His eyes were flashing dangerously yellow.  
Sakura looked at the suspended ninja and her face changed into a cold, emotionless mask. Her killing mask.

"I have no intensions of sparing him, Gaara. _Believe_ me. I want nothing more than to tear him limb from limb!  
But we have to find out who sent him! And why! Just...make sure he _coughs_ before he _croaks_!"  
Sakura declared coldly.

Gaara's left eye twitched. He knew that Sakura was right.  
Gaara slowly walked up to the constricted man while clenching his hand tighter and tighter along the way.  
By the time he reached him, he was gasping for air.  
Gaara bent in close and glared the ninja in the eye with all the hatred in him!  
The gasping man was completely terrified by now! Gaara's yellow eyes didn't help much either.  
A distance behind the Sand ninja, Naruto and Sasuke stood.  
Naruto was hunched down low to the ground and his blood red eyes could be seen from a good distance!  
An aura of red Chakra was flickering in and out of excistence around him.  
Sasuke was standing with his hands together in the Tiger hand seal. The black tattoo's and the pair  
of crimson eyes added to the terrifying picture.  
It was clear that the newly-wed couple had good friends to rely on.  
Gaara opened his mouth and...

"_WHO_..." Gaara hissed, his newly accuried fangs showing.

"_SENT_..." Gaara brought his fingers closer to his palm, and a light cracking sound could be heard.

"YOU...?" Gaara finished.

The man could actually _feel_ his bones breaking. The terror he felt when Gaara's glowing yellow eyes bore into  
his skull was indescribable. The breaking pressure of Gaara's sand sent him into a fit of panic of which he had  
never been in before! The combined effects of Gaara's eyes and the pressuring sand made the man cough out:

"It...was...Doto...! Y, your dead...father's...follower's...l, leader...!" The man wheezed out.

Gaara's angryroar was heard by all.  
The sand constricted tightly and the man coughed up a big amount of blood.  
When Gaara spoke, his voice was completely calm. The whisper that left his mouth had a tone in it that  
could freeze volcanoes!

"_So what you're saying is... That some old kooks are STILL after my head? Just because my trashpile of  
a father ordered them to kill me when I was six?_" Gaara wisphered with suppressed anger.

"N, no...! That's...n, not all! D, Doto has been...g, gathering followers for a while n, now!  
R, renegade ninja...Sand ninja...whomever...a, as long as they are willing to...to support him...!  
He's...strong...! S, so unbelievably s, strong...! E, even if you kill me...it will be for naught!  
B, because...! D, Doto have already...set his eyes on you...on you and your family...!  
You...will...die." The ninja gasped out.

Sakura was surprised. She had never in her wildest dreams imagined that something like this would happen!  
The Sand ninja could barely believe his ears!  
He thought that everyone who wanted him dead were dead themselves by now. But apparently, that wasn't the case!  
Sakura calmed down somewhat and started lulling Kyla to sleep. But the infant was way too worked up and  
she continued wailing. The young kunoichi was very confused by all that had happened in such a short amount of time.  
She was so worked up and confused by now, that she didn't really know what to do or feel.  
Sakura wanted to scream, she was so frustrated! And for a very good reason.  
Everything rolled on repeat in her head, over and over again. Untill she couldn't take it anymore and decided  
to block it all out. For now. Sakura lowered her head so that her bangs hid her face.  
Sakura passed Gaara and wisphered:

"_I can't deal with this... Not now. Once I have taken Kyla out of here...Do it_."

Gaara needed no further encouragement. He raised his arm, just as Sakura walked out of the room with Kyla.  
As Sakura turned and went down the long corridor leading to the room for the bridegroom and the bride,  
two words were heard from the room she just left.

"DESERT GRAVEYARD!"

* * *

The Police Force arrived a few minutes after that. They told all of the wedding guests to calm down and then  
sent them all home. At the same time, ANBU also arrived. They swished soundlessly past all the wedding guests  
as shadows and grabbed the ninja's body. Or, what was left of it.  
And as the wedding guests started to leave, ANBU left as well. 

Gaara stood in the same spot as he had when he had executed his killing strike.  
His mind was a royal mess right now. Too much had happened in a much too short period of time.  
Gaara felt that everything crashed together in his head. The whole day started repeating itself over and over  
again, untill he just wanted to scream. It was all so confusing and frustrating! It was also so very unfair.  
He had found somebody to love, he had had a child, and he had gotten married. Gaara had just started to  
feel good about himself, for crying out loud! But just as things were starting to look good, and the future  
had never been brighter, THIS happens! A murder attempt! On his wedding!On HIS family!  
It was enough to make him sick, powerless, angry, and completely restless. But at the same time, he felt  
so very, very tired. Gaara shook his head and shoved all thoughts to the very back of his head.  
He made his mind blank. He couldn't deal with this. Not now.  
And just as three Police Force ninjas approached him, Gaara of The Desert disappeared in a whirlwind of sand.

Gaara needed to get away. He needed to be away from people.  
He needed...to find his family.


End file.
